Angus Macgyver (Richard Dean Anderson) is a secret agent with a difference. He is quiet, mild mannered, deeply principled and refuses to carry a gun on his missions. Fortunately, the last detail is unimportant when compared to his astounding mind.
Drawing on a vast practical knowledge of science, Macgyver is able to make use of any mundane materials around him to create unorthodox solutions to any problem he faces. The enemies of world peace and justice continually learn that underestimating this man is a fatal mistake for their plans.
Like James Bond (but without the high-tech gadgets) MacGyver is one of those rare beings who can avert any crisis without mussing a hair. In the pilot alone, the secret agent dismantles a missile using a paper clip and fashions a rocket thruster out of a pistol.
Is there anything MacGyver can’t do? As the first season of ABC’s long-running adventure series proves, the answer is a resounding no. MacGyver’s secret: the everyday items he “finds along the way,” like matches or gum wrappers, and the ingenuity to put them to a myriad of uses (a background in physics and chemistry doesn’t hurt). Wits are MacGyver’s weapon of choice.
Character to watch: Richard Dean Anderson as Angus MacGyver.
Journal your answers to the following questions after you watch the series.
- How does this particular character’s journey compare with yours?
- Did the character develop certain characteristics during the movie that you have or that you would like to have? If so, what are those characteristics?
- What obstacles did this character face? What was his or her biggest challenge?
- What would you have done differently if you had been in the same position as the character?
- Is this character the type of person you would be friends with? Why or why not?